McGown’s return was secured through a collaborative effort that included the NGO, Gift of the Givers, and the governments of South Africa and Mali, where McGown had been held captive since November 2011.

Mohamed was abducted in January by a group of armed men. He had travelled to Syria on assignment with Gift of the Givers.

Speaking to The Star on Thursday, Department of State Security spokesperson Brian Dube said although the circumstances of Mohamed’s capture was different from McGown, the government was still working tirelessly to try to secure the photo-journalist’s safe return.

“The government’s position has always been the same… that whoever goes missing or gets kidnapped outside the country, it will always play a role to try to get them back,” Dube said.

“I can confirm that we are seized with this matter in trying to assist. We are working as a team led by Dirco (Department of International Relations and Co-operation), because this is an international matter.

“And, of course, State Security will also play its role in trying to bring back Mr Mohamed. It’s a team effort,” he added.

Dube could not, however, provide details on the progress of attempts to bring Mohamed back home.

It was an emotional briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, when McGown’s family sat alongside cabinet ministers to announce the joyous news of their loved one’s return after years of captivity by al-Qaeda’s Mali branch.

This brought an end to a traumatic five years and eight months for the family since the capture of their son, during which McGown’s mother Beverly died in May after a long illness and without seeing her son’s return.

McGown’s father, Malcolm, said it was a “miracle” for the family to have him back, but detailed the difficulties they suffered in Stephen’s absence.

]]>http://ciiradio.com/2017/08/04/hope-for-shiraaz-mohamed-after-stephen-mcgown-is-freed-from-captivity/feed/0Thousands of Syrians crossed the Turkish border, headed home for Eidhttp://ciiradio.com/2017/06/27/thousands-of-syrians-crossed-the-turkish-border-headed-home-for-eid/
http://ciiradio.com/2017/06/27/thousands-of-syrians-crossed-the-turkish-border-headed-home-for-eid/#respondTue, 27 Jun 2017 12:30:37 +0000http://ciiradio.com/?p=6312Cii Radio| Ayesha Ismail| 27 June 2017| 02 Shawaal 1438 For close to two weeks, tens of thousands of Syrians have been lining up at the border, anxious to return to liberated areas in Syria, with some saying they’re returning for good Thousands of Syrians headed back over the Turkish border to Syria following an […]

For close to two weeks, tens of thousands of Syrians have been lining up at the border, anxious to return to liberated areas in Syria, with some saying they’re returning for good

Thousands of Syrians headed back over the Turkish border to Syria following an announcement by the Turkish government that it will give Syrians the right to return if they want to go home and celebrate Eid.

However, some Syrians have opted to return home for good.

For close to two weeks, tens of thousands of people have been lining up at the border, anxious to return to liberated areas in Syria.

Most have waited for hours at the Cilvegozu border gate in Reyhanli, in southern Hatay province.

Customs officials say approximately 111,000 Syrians crossed as of Tuesday last week, and more than 10 percent have left their temporary Turkish resident cards behind, indicating they do not intend to return.

Turkey closed its border with Syria two years ago, except for special cases such as emergency medical care.

Border security was further tightened after a 2016 deal with the European Union to stop the illegal flow of migrants.

So, for many of the three million Syrian refugees in Turkey, this will be the first time they are able to go “home” in two years.

Raqqa
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) advanced against Daesh in its de facto capital, Raqqa, on Sunday, taking the Al Qadisia district.

The SDF began its assault on Raqqa earlier this month after a long campaign to isolate Daesh inside the city.

It took Al Qadisia, located in the west of Raqqa, after three days of intense fighting, it said in a statement on one of its official social media feeds.

The SDF has pushed Daesh from swathes of northern Syria over the past 18 months.

Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have also taken territory and the Syrian regime army has this year advanced rapidly against Daesh in desert areas.

The US-backed coalition has supported SDF advances against the militant group throughout the Raqqa campaign with artillery and air strikes, including some against Daesh leaders.

This month, the coalition said its air strikes had killed Turki Binali, a Bahraini cleric who was the group’s top religious authority and the most senior known Gulf Arab in Daesh.

It also said last week it killed Fawaz al Rawi, who it said was an important Daesh financier, in an air strike in Syria.

However, coalition air raids have also caused large numbers of civilian casualties, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor.

It said on Saturday that coalition air strikes in and around Raqqa had killed nearly 700 civilians so far this year.

The coalition says it works hard to avoid killing civilians and investigates all reports against it.